Pinoy among 188 persons nabbed by ICE operatives

CHICAGO – A 33-year-old Filipino with prior conviction related to drug trafficking was one of the 188 individuals arrested on May 24 in the greater Los Angeles (California) area by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Fugitive Operations officers during a five-day expanded enforcement operation that ended last May 30.

Lori K. Haley, public affairs officer/spokeswoman of the Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Western Region in Laguna Niguel, California, told this reporter that the name of the Filipino, who was arrested in Van Nuys, California on May 24 for immigration violations (administrative arrests), is not “publicly releasable, however I can tell you the individual is a 33 year-old male with a prior conviction related to a drug trafficking charge.”

Of those arrested during the operation, which was spearheaded by ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) division, 169, or almost 90 percent, had prior criminal convictions.

Among those arrested were:

A 29-year-old Salvadoran national convicted of rape in California who was taken into custody May 22 in Los Angeles. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) databases indicate the man was deported in 2014 after serving a nine-year prison term, but subsequently returned to the U.S. illegally. The man now faces criminal prosecution by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for felony re-entry after deportation;

A previously deported 51-year-old Mexican national arrested May 22 in La Puente who served three years in the California Department of Corrections following his conviction for cocaine trafficking;

A 47-year-old Mexican national arrested in Los Angeles May 20 who has prior convictions for felony assault and another conviction for battery. DHS databases indicate this individual was released in 2014 by local authorities despite an ICE detainer; and a

A 26-year-old Salvadoran national with a final order of removal arrested May 21 in Azusa who is a registered sex offender based upon his 2014 conviction for having unlawful sex with a minor.

The recent operation targeted public safety threats, such as convicted criminal aliens and individuals who have violated our nation’s immigration laws, including individuals who re-entered the country after being removed, and immigration fugitives ordered deported by federal immigration judges.

“Operations like this are emblematic of the vital work ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations officers do every day seeking to locate, arrest, and ultimately deport at-large convicted criminals and other immigration fugitives who pose a threat to public safety,” said David Marin, field office director for ERO in Los Angeles. “By taking these individuals off the streets and removing them from the country, we’re making our communities safer for everyone.”

At least eight of the individuals arrested now face federal prosecution for re-entry after deportation, a felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

Those not being criminally prosecuted will be processed for removal from the country. Individuals who have outstanding orders of deportation, or who returned to the United States illegally after being deported, are subject to immediate removal from the country.

The arrestees (177 men and 11 women) included nationals from 11 countries.

ICE officers conduct operations every day around the country as part of the agency’s ongoing efforts to protect the nation, uphold public safety, and protect the integrity of our immigration laws and border controls.

Since President Trump signed the Executive Orders (EOs) regarding immigration enforcement priorities, ICE has arrested more than 41,000 individuals nationwide who are either known or suspected of being in the country illegally, a nearly 40 percent increase over the same period in 2016. Almost 75 percent of those arrested during this period in 2017 are convicted criminals, with offenses ranging from homicide and assault to sexual abuse and drug-related charges.

In the greater Los Angeles area, ICE officers made 2,273 administrative arrests during that timeframe, including 2,049 criminal aliens.

Joseph is a former reporter of the Manila Bulletin, former president of the Rizal-Metro Manila Reporters Association and former president of the Chicago chapter of the National Press Club of the Philippines. A native of Sorsogon, Philippines, he and his family now live in Chicago. A prolific reporter, Lariosa writes a column and news stories for the Filipino Star News and other Filipino community newspapers in the US as well as for GMA News and the Manila Bulletin.